Aug. 7th, Aspen Times Newspaper Article

Leah Roland, Amanda Boxtel, and Kacie Burtard, all living with spinal injuries, have returned from stem cell treatment in India showing considerable improvement.

Jordan Curet/The Aspen Times

ASPEN — Three local women with spinal injuries are back from stem cell treatment in India and say they’re much improved.

Amanda Boxtel, Leah Roland and Kasie Burtard turned to valley residents in 2007 for the thousands of dollars needed for a treatment banned in the United States, and all three women said the controversial embryonic stem cell injections paid dividends.

They are holding an event Tuesday at the Aspen Club to say thank-you to the community and also raise more funds for ongoing treatment overseas.

The cost of an initial two-month treatment at the 20-room private clinic in New Delhi is about $40,000.

For Boxtel, who was paralyzed from the waist down in a ski accident almost 16 years ago, it was her third trip for a treatment by Dr. Geeta Shroff, who uses a groundbreaking embryonic stem cell therapy to treat people with incurable diseases, or people with injuries deemed irreversible.

Boxtel experienced surpri sing results from initial treatments a year ago, she said, including use of muscles long-dormant and regained bladder control.

Subsequent one-month visits to India over the past year have meant more subtle improvements, she said.

“It’s going to be a really long road for me,” Boxtel said.

Reversing some 16 years of muscle atrophy won’t be easy, she said, and she’s not sure she’ll be able to walk as a result of the treatment.

But Boxtel is grateful that she has improved muscle control, can now walk on her knees and can wiggle her toes.

And muscle aches from physical therapy are signs of healing, she said.

Burtard, who made her first trip to India this year and stayed two months, can now move her quadriceps muscles, can stand with the help of leg braces and took her first step without them during her time in India.

Since the treatment, Roland, who walks with a cane, is off medication, and can stand straight with her knees locked and h a s improved use of one hand affected by her injury.

The women said the treatment program in India was rigorous, with morning and afternoon physical therapy sessions as well “gait training.”

“You have to work hard and dig deep to make ‘em fire,” Roland said of atrophied muscles.

But it’s working, she added.

“We are improving,” Roland said.

But it wasn’t all about physical therapy and hospital rooms.

Burtard rode an elephant and went to the Taj Mahal, and Roland said she “went native,” shopping in markets and practicing yoga and meditation with locals.

All three said that time them made them grateful for clean air and drinking water in Aspen.

Doctors in the U.S. are “curious” about the results of stem cell therapy, Boxtel said, but don’t condone the treatment, which raises ethical issues for many and won’t pass a “conservative” Food and Drug Administration,.

Doctors at the Craig Hospital, however, are updating “unreliabl e and archaic” testing for spinal injury patients, Boxtel said, and in the future will be able to better measure improvements.

The fundraiser will be at the Aspen Club on Tuesday from 5 to 8 p.m. and is a chance to eat, drink, listen to live music and talk with the three women about their experience overseas.

View Posts by Month

View Posts by Month

My History, My Story

On February 27, 1992 at the age of 24 I sustained a complete spinal cord injury at T11/12 (that is, no feeling or sensation at thoracic vertebra 11 & 12). I am able to recall the accident vividly in my mind's eye to this very day. I was downhill skiing. Everything happened in slow motion. A freak somersault and in a split second I shattered four vertebrae. It was as though somebody turned off a light switch. An electric current zapped through my legs and in an instant there was nothing.

15 1/2 Years with No Changes…

I have always been an active woman. For 15 1/2 years I sort out various alternative healing therapies yet I showed no improvement. Early on I tried standing tall in leg braces, but my efforts proved fruitless, plus I had a couple of horrible falls. Sitting simply became more functional. In August 2000 I was the recipient of the Vocare Bladder Implant, which helped me void my bladder using electrical stimulation. For 15 1/2 years I kept my legs supple and alive with various alternative healing therapies, yet I showed no improvement. I was paralyzed with no sensation or movement from the top of my pubic bone down. While I arrived at a place of acceptance with my paralysis, I have always had an uncanny insight that one magical day my legs would support me. Secretly, I never gave up hope.

HOPE Restored!

While my spinal cord injury took away my ability to walk, it didn't take away my ability to dream. TODAY I am turning my dream into my reality one baby step at a time.
On June 25, 2007 I was the first US Citizen to undergo Human Embryonic Stem Cell (hESC) Therapy with Dr. Geeta Shroff in Delhi, India.
During my initial two month visit, I not only witnessed astounding improvements in my own body, but with many patients who have life restored within their bodies and a newfound reason to not give up but LIVE!

New Sensations, New Muscle Power–I Am Defying the Odds!

I am compelled to share my experiences with the world. Since my first stem cell treatment in 2007, and after 15 1/2 years of being in a wheelchair I now have increased sensation with light touch and with deep sensation tingling all the way to my toes; my bladder and bowels are beginning to function again; and I have increased muscle power in my legs including gluteal muscles, quadriceps, hamstrings, adductors and abductors, and a flicker in my calf muscles too. Hope is now a part of my vocabulary!